Nancy Bush

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Nancy Bush answers readers' questions about tonal preferences, writing dark and intense scenes, and the release of her next book.

Georgia from Milledgeville, GA: Did you study psychology in college?

Nancy Bush: I took some psychology courses, although I received a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. It's interesting how you can go back to some of your classes even years later and pull something from them.

Doris from Chandler, AZ: I thoroughly enjoy reading your books. The tone of UNSEEN is so serious compared to the more humorous Jane Kelly mysteries. Which type of writing do you prefer?

Nancy Bush: I guess I like both serious and humorous tones. For me, changing it up is what's interesting. I don't want to get in a rut, although I find writing Jane Kelly easy because I tend to think like Jane. I don't have to stretch as hard to come up with a response to any given scenario. It's just there!

Mary from Newark, CA: I am wondering where your mind goes while writing a story like this. Is it a dark place? And, if so, is it hard to come back from there?

Nancy Bush: I have a lot of experience writing in that "dark place" as I've edited my sister's work for years, fellow writer Lisa Jackson! It's not hard to come back from there once you've put down your work, but if I'm in the middle of a scene and somebody slams a door somewhere in the house, I'll just about jump out of my skin. I definitely feel the mood of the scene and I have to get up and shiver all over sometimes, just to shake it off.

Ilene from Naperville, IL: What is your next book and when is it due out?

Nancy Bush: My next book is a thriller that includes members of The Colony, the secretive group introduced in WICKED GAME and UNSEEN. It will be out in 2010.